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Paul Collingwood’s first Durham century since making six in 2005 put the Championship leaders in command against struggling Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street

20-Jun-2011
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Paul Collingwood’s first Durham century since making six in 2005 put the Championship leaders in command against struggling Yorkshire at Chester-le-Street. Collingwood’s 108 helped Durham to 408 for 8 declared, a lead of 223, and in seven overs Yorkshire reached 13 without loss in their second innings.Rapid half-centuries from Gordon Muchall, Phil Mustard and Scott Borthwick helped Durham make up for the loss of a day and a half by scoring at 5.24 an over on a day when Yorkshire dropped six catches. They were not happy about umpire Tim Robinson changing his mind after giving out Mustard, lbw to Adil Rashid on 58, apparently realising that the Durham captain had edged the ball on to his pad.Mustard added 12 more runs, but what had really cost Yorkshire was putting him down first ball and again on one after he came in with the score on 141 for 5. The last three wickets at that point had gone to Steve Patterson, who bowled an excellent spell either side of lunch, forcing Collingwood to treat him with the utmost respect.Patterson was the bowler when Richard Pyrah dropped Mustard first ball at second slip then the same fielder put him down off Ryan Sidebottom. Collingwood’s was a very measured innings as he reached 50 off 75 balls and his century off 145. It was also chanceless and it was a surprise when he pushed forward and edged Joe Root’s offspin to slip.That gave Adam Lyth his third catch, but he was guilty of putting down Borthwick off Rashid on 18 and the young left-hander was one short of his career-best 68 when the declaration came.
He put on 68 in 11 overs with Callum Thorp, who drove Root for three sixes in reaching 29.This was the fourth successive match in which Durham had achieved maximum batting points without a significant contribution from Michael Di Venuto. He has scored 37 runs in four innings since his century at home to Somerset and had already survived a difficult chance to Rashid at third slip when he edged Shahzad to the same fielder.Bowling in attacking style, Shahzad kept feeding Muchall’s cut and cover drive and conceded 36 runs in five overs as Muchall raced to 50 off 40 balls. Yorkshire did enjoy a slice of luck in the day’s penultimate over, when Lyth, on four, survived a chance to Mustard’s left hand off Thorp.

A round-up of the final day’s action of the first round of matches in the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy Plate League

Cricinfo staff06-Nov-2009

Group A

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Pankaj Singh picked up 7 for 64 during Assam’s chase as Rajasthan put aside their off-the-field troubles to take full points in Guwahati. Madhur Khatri dealt Assam the first blow on the final day, sending back Dheeraj Jadhav for 16, with the hosts needing 294 to win. That opened the gates for Pankaj, who repeatedly dented Assam – an even better showing than his 4 for 44 in the first innings. The right-arm fast bowler was unstoppable as none of the batsmen managed to convert their starts, with Parvez Aziz top scoring with 45. Assam captain Amol Muzumdar had reason to celebrate though, becoming the highest run-getter in the Ranji Trophy, courtesy his 25 in the second innings.
ScorecardAkshay Wakhare’s five-for might have come too late as Goa held on to first-innings points against Vidarbha in Nagpur. The offpsinner ran through the Goa top and middle orders before they declared on 203 for 8 in their second innings. First-innings centurion Saurabh Bandekar was the top scorer for Goa with 40 off 53 balls. The target of 340 was near impossible to achieve as Jayesh Dongaonkar and captain Alind Naidu saw Vidarbha through to the end of the day’s play at 83 for 1.
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Debabrata Chowdhury’s half-century ensured crucial first-innings points for Tripura against Jharkhand in the drawn-game in Ranchi. Chowdhury added 44 to his overnight score of 34, taking Tripura’s first-innings total to 438 – a narrow lead of seven. Opener Siddhartha Sinha gave Jharkhand a solid start in their second innings with 76 and they finally took stumps at 167 for 3. Jharkhand would look to make-up for the lost points when they take on Vidarbha on November 10.

Group B

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Girikina Prasad’s five-for ensured Andhra grabbed first-innings against Kerala. Continuing from their overnight score of 208 for 6, Preambhastn Prem and Padmanbhan Prasanth battled valiantly, as the seventh-wicket stand yielded 82. Prem surrendered to Prasad nine short of his fifty, and the offspinner then proceeded to take out the last two batsmen to end with a well-deserved 5 for 100. Sitting pretty on a lead of 106, the Andhra openers, Hemal Watekar and Prasad Reddy, saw out the remaining 11 overs in the day without trouble.
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The runs continued to flow in Indore as the Haryana openers made merry after they had ensured first-innings points against Madhya Pradesh. Resuming on 364 for 7, still 182 behind Haryana’s mammoth first-innings total, Sanjay Pandey’s patient 46 only delayed the inevitable. He was the last wicket to fall, with the last three wickets contributing 70. Ahead by 112, Rahul Dewan and Ankit Rawat chose to extend Haryana’s domination, smashing 133 and 100 respectively. While Dewan scored 20 fours during his 171-ball innings, Rawat managed nine fours and three sixes during his knock. The unbeaten 244-run partnership was the perfect icing to the three points Haryana gained.

Here’s all we know about the players who are set to be retained by their respective franchises

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-202410:37

Who will RCB retain apart from Kohli?

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)MS Dhoni is one of five players set to be retained by CSK, along with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube and Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana. The amounts CSK are paying to each retained player is yet to be confirmed but they will lose at least INR 65 crore from their overall purse of INR 120 crore.
Gujarat Titans (GT)Gujarat Titans are likely to retain Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, B Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan, leaving them with one right-to-match card (RTM) option at the upcoming IPL mega auction.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)The franchise is set to retain Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy. Their 2024 title-winning captain Shreyas Iyer and star allrounder Andre Russell are unlikely to be retained.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi, along with the uncapped pair of Mohsin Khan and Ayush Badoni, are set to be retained by LSG for IPL 2025. KL Rahul, who has led the franchise since its inception in 2022, is unlikely to be retained.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Sandeep Sharma are the four players set to be retained by Rajasthan Royals. ESPNcricinfo has learned that England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler and India legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal are not part of the retention list.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)South Africa power-hitter Heinrich Klaasen is set to be the top retention for SRH and will get INR 23 crore (US$ 2.74 million approx.) as the first retained player. Pat Cummins, who was SRH captain in 2024, is set to be retained at INR 18 crore (US$ 2.14 million approx.), and India allrounder Abhishek Sharma at INR 14 crore (US$ 1.67 million approx). Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy are also set to be retained as their final two capped retained players ahead of the auction.
Delhi Capitals (DC)Rishabh Pant is all set to go into the auction after not being retained by DC. ESPNcricinfo has learned that talks between DC’s ownership group and Pant failed after stretching over the past few months and Wednesday. The franchise has retained four players: the spin pair of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, South Africa batter Tristan Stubbs and uncapped Indian wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)Punjab Kings are likely to retain only two uncapped players – batters Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh – from their IPL 2024 squad. They will go into the upcoming mega auction with the largest purse, likely in excess of INR 100 crore, and also have four right-to-match options which can be used to buy back their players.
Mumbai Indians (MI)Mumbai Indians are set to retain their four major Indian players – Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav – along with Tilak Varma ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.With those five capped players retained, MI can use their one right-to-match option only on an uncapped player at the auction. While the individual amounts for each of their retained player is yet to be ascertained, MI will lose at least INR 75 crore from their purse of INR 120 crore, or more if they have paid a higher aggregate amount to the five.

India lead the series 1-0 after winning the first Test in Chennai by 280 runs

Hemant Brar26-Sep-20242:23

Manjrekar: I will play Kuldeep Yadav in the second Test

Big picture: Another stern test awaits Bangladesh

Bangladesh came into this series riding on the high of winning 2-0 in Pakistan. It peaked when they had India 144 for 6 in the first innings in Chennai. But then India once again showed why they are arguably the strongest home side in Test history and went on to steamroll Bangladesh by 280 runs.It was a show of India’s depth in both batting and bowling. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli managed only 34 runs between them across four innings, but India had three centurions and two half-centurions. When it came to bowling, their seamers shared eight wickets in Bangladesh’s first innings and the spinners nine during the second.Things will not get easier for Bangladesh in Kanpur, where New Zealand’s tail had held on to secure a draw the last time a Test was played here. There is also some uncertainty about the pitch. The ground staff were preparing two surfaces and, as of noon on the eve of the match, it was not clear which one would be used.Related

• Green Park's C stand deemed 'unsafe' for India-Bangladesh Test

• Shakib 'eligible for selection' for Kanpur Test against India

• Ravindra Jadeja, the quick and the deadly

Kanpur generally offers good Test-match pitches that help fast bowlers on the first morning before flattening out and assisting spinners on the last two days. However, the weather could be an issue this time, with rain forecast on the first three days. That could impact not just the pitch but also the toss decision and team compositions.But all is not bleak for Bangladesh. In their second innings in Chennai, their openers gave them a solid start, followed by Najmul Hossain Shanto’s return to form with 82. In their first innings, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz all got starts. But to be competitive against this Indian team at home, you have to be at your best for much longer periods. Can Bangladesh do that?

Form guide

India WWWWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
Bangladesh LWWLL0:48

Manjrekar: Bangladesh attack lacks quality and experience

In the spotlight: Shubman Gill and Shakib Al Hasan

Shubman Gill knows his ceiling. Even after scoring 452 runs with two hundreds in the home series against England earlier this year, he recently said he was yet to fulfil his expectations as a Test player. Gill got out for a duck in the first innings of the Chennai Test against Bangladesh but scored a stroke-filled unbeaten 119 in the second. Given India are to face tougher opponents in the coming months – New Zealand and Australia – Gill would be keen to fine-tune his game at No. 3.When is Shakib Al Hasan not in the spotlight? While batting in Chennai, he was seen biting a black strap, wrapped around his neck, to keep his head from falling over. When it was time to bowl, there were murmurs about his workload, ineffectiveness and discomfort with the spinning finger. And after Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe confirmed Shakib’s availability for the second Test, he dropped a bombshell about his future on the eve of the match.

Team news: Wait and watch?

There was no indication from the Indian camp whether they would play three spinners. Even if they do, it may not be a straightforward choice. If the pitch is too slow, Axar Patel could be handy with his pace and attacking the stumps. But India already have a similar spinner in Ravindra Jadeja. In Kuldeep Yadav’s favour, this is his home ground. So he is a tempting option, too. If India play one of Axar or Kuldeep, Akash Deep could be the one to miss out.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk), 6 KL Rahul, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Axar Patel, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed SirajIf Bangladesh go with three spinners, Taijul Islam could replace Nahid Rana. That could also help with Shakib’s workload, if required.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Zakir Hasan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Litton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Taskin AhmedGautam Gambhir and Abhishek Nayar inspect one of two pitches in consideration for the Kanpur Test•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and conditions: Slow and low bounce?

The red-soil pitch in Chennai had decent bounce for both seamers and spinners in the first Test. Kanpur will be different. The two pitches being considered for the match are black-soil surfaces. They are likely to be flatter, with lower bounce, and are expected to become slower as the Test progresses. All that could change if it rains as forecasted, and bad light could become a factor too towards the end of each day.

Stats and trivia: Jadeja double on the cards

• For the first time in their Test history, India have more wins (179) than losses (178).
• Jadeja is one short of becoming the seventh Indian to take 300 Test wickets.
• When Jadeja gets there, he will also complete the double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets. If he does it in Kanpur, in his 74th Test, he will be the second fastest to do so after Ian Botham (72).
• Virat Kohli is 129 short of 9000 Test runs.
• Taijul is five short of 200 Test wickets. Only Shakib (242) has more Test wickets for Bangladesh.

Quotes

“We don’t particularly pattern bad pitches. But we try to make sure the conditions are tough enough so that the players are challenged. A lot of these guys have played for so many years. Only if they’re challenged are they going to get better. So sometimes the thought process is just to challenge them differently so that your game and you, organically and mentally, grow.”

The tournament enjoyed a resurgent season but cricket’s crammed schedule will continue to present challenges

Tristan Lavalette06-Feb-2023Twelve months ago, there was a lot of unrest over the maligned BBL after a second straight season was ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.Everyone, including BBL general manager Alistair Dobson, seemed to acknowledge that the tournament’s 12th edition was going to be a pivotal juncture magnified by Cricket Australia’s vital media rights negotiations in the backdrop.Fast forward a year, in the aftermath of a riveting season capped by a fitting finale at a heaving Optus Stadium, the BBL is glowing amid a stunning revival to rekindle its heyday from mid-last decade.Here are some of the main reasons for the BBL regaining its standing as a hot ticket in the congested Australian sports summer after being mired in uncertainty in recent years and some of the questions that remain.

Return of homegrown stars

Australia’s best players have rarely ever been available to play in the BBL. Finally, David Warner returned after nine years, but it was his great mate Steven Smith who stole the show with a spectacular whirlwind of a stint to become the marquee drawcard.Related

• Dan Christian: 'T20 is the key to ensuring other formats survive'

• 'Mate, we can do it. I have full faith in ourselves'

• Peirson 'immensely proud' of Heat's late season revival despite falling short of title

• Turner puts Scorchers' success down to 'confidence in the depth of our squad'

Smith and Warner, the latter who had been courted by the cashed-up new UAE T20 league, were paid a lot of money to play in the BBL, but it was worth every dollar. Some of the returning Australian stars struggled during their short stints, including Warner and Strikers skipper Travis Head, but they lit a fuse under the latter stages of the regular season during what is perennially a dreary period.The star power provided a much-needed injection of talent into the BBL after a slew of overseas players left for the new UAE and South African T20 leagues. The competition was upended with lowly Heat storming into title calculations after the inclusions of skipper Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw.By any metric the returns of some of Australia’s best and most popular players was a huge success. It’s well and good to covet top international players but, ultimately, homegrown heroes whip up local interest.South Africa controversially pulling out of a three-match ODI series set for mid-January – to ensure its players were available for their new T20 league – proved a godsend for CA.Steven Smith made two stunning centuries•Getty Images

New-name match-winners

But, as in the past, the BBL showed it wasn’t all about the A-listers. Some players took the chance to make a name for themselves. Left-arm spinner Paddy Dooley and left-arm quick Spencer Johnson led the way as key parts of Hurricanes’ and Heat’s attacks respectively.Johnson’s team-mate, Josh Brown, meanwhile produced one of the most memorable individual performance of the season with his fierce 62 off 23 balls against Sixers.And in the final itself, Nick Hobson, an accountant by trade who had taken annual leave to play the BBL, composed himself after a mix-up Ashton Turner to help take Scorchers to victory. “I’ll come back the week after,” he said of returning to the day job. “I’ll let it all decompress.”

Should a dedicated BBL window be created?

It’s become an annual pastime to debate what the ideal Australian cricket summer should look like, but this season might have provided answers.In other words, a clear window for the BBL after the traditional New Year’s SCG Test is probably optimal. But with cricket’s calendar increasingly brimming to capacity, it’s not always going to be possible for Australia’s Test players to be available.There will be a clash next year with West Indies set to be playing a two-Test series in the latter half of January. While it’s laudable that Test cricket is still a major priority for CA, it feels like a matter of time before they follow the lead of several other nations and dedicate space for their T20 league to ensure the BBL’s long-term viability, although it appears unlikely under the recently confirmed Future Tours Programme with the expectation that, on average, every other season will see significant clashes.Spencer Johnson was one of the breakout stars•Getty Images

Bigger crowds help turn around BBL’s perception

Tune into a BBL game in recent years and often the first thing that stood out was the near empty grandstands. Of course, some of that had to do with the Covid-19 situation but the sterile surrounds further fuelled the BBL’s spiralling reputation with crowds having already started to dip prior to the pandemic.With Australia’s strict policies on Covid-19 effectively binned, crowds returned with around a million fans attending games this season to beat the combined turnouts of the last two seasons.The crowds have, of course, helped create better spectacles which have translated well onto television screens, where ratings have jumped.The BBL has undoubtedly benefited from a scrapping of Covid-19 policies, particularly in Western Australia where Scorchers only played five home games in the previous two seasons due to the state’s hard-line pandemic rules. With WA’s hard border removed, the beloved Scorchers attracted healthy home crowds all season, including around 95,000 fans for the two finals staged at Optus Stadium.It only added to a growing belief that Scorchers are more popular among parochial West Australians than the Australian cricket team.Several marquee BBL games, such as Strikers’ annual New Year’s Eve game at the Adelaide Oval and the Melbourne Derby at the MCG, also reeled in the masses to help turn around the competition’s perception.

Thrillers and controversies create constant headlines

An opening night thriller between Sydney Thunder and Melbourne Stars foreshadowed what was ahead for a madcap BBL season.There were numerous nerve-jangling finishes, while records were made along the way, including Strikers’ epic chase down of 230 against Hurricanes at home. Thunder, too, were in the record books but for all the wrong reasons after being humiliated for just 15 against Strikers in a disastrous performance that made global headlines.Michael Neser’s contentious juggled catch on the boundary and Adam Zampa’s attempted run-out of Tom Rogers at the non-striker’s end also sparked furious debate worldwide. All of this attention helped BBL lift firmly back to relevance and become an almost daily talking point.Matthew Short’s century in a huge chase was one of the moments of the season•Getty Images

Dud Test summer created an appetite for the BBL

When the BBL memorably started peaking in 2015-16, marked by a still record BBL crowd of 80,000 for the Melbourne Derby, there had been a major thirst for competitive cricket on the back of a lacklustre Test series between Australia and West Indies.Similarly, this Test summer was mostly one-sided with West Indies again out of their depth and South Africa enduring a rare misfire in Australia. Much like seven years ago, the BBL stepped up and delivered a riveting season filled with instant classic games and never-ending storylines.But it has proven harder for the BBL to find the same amount of oxygen during summers involving England and India, which are likely to get more bloated in the future.

Is a scaled down BBL needed?

After such a success, it can be now pondered whether shortening the BBL season from its current 61 games to 43 – a key plank in the new media rights deal with plans for it to be implemented as early as next season – was done in haste. Sticking with the 14-game home and away format for each side has advocates.”I have no problem with reducing the season but I think the current format is fairer,” Strikers coach Jason Gillespie told ESPNcricinfo. “I think the length of the BBL could have been condensed without losing games by having more doubles headers and teams playing back-to-back games.”That type of schedule can better test out a BBL list, where currently there are a few players who don’t often get a look in.”But a shorter season is happening, and could yet start next summer if everything can be put in place, and time will tell if it’s the right formula amid cricket’s changing landscape.

Opener’s 69-ball effort, only marginally slower than his more celebrated team-mate, leaves Worcestershire clinging on

David Hopps07-May-2022Two centuries in the match for Sean Dickson, the second of them a rip-roaring affair made at a pace that only Ben Stokes has ever outdone in Durham’s history, and then only on the previous day, have prepared the ground for Durham to secure their first win of the season at the fifth attempt, an overdue reward for a county that was strongly fancied to be contesting the promotion places at the beginning of the season.Durham need eight wickets on the final day to beat Worcestershire, who are still 357 runs adrift, but any regular county cricket observers who have alighted on the competition for the first time this summer need to be brought up to date: that task is no longer as straightforward as it was once.Durham’s task is also compounded by the fact that the workload of Stokes, England’s new captain, their champion allrounder and therefore a tough guy who is regarded as vulnerable as porcelain, must be managed on his first appearance of the season. “Put overs into the legs of the Durham bowlers,” was the understandable policy of the Worcestershire dressing room. It was just that… there’s a tough England summer ahead, can’t you go a little easy?Related

• Stokes brutalises Worcestershire with record-breaking century on Durham comeback

• Robinson five-for, Pujara hundred maintain control for Sussex

Stokes has set up their victory push, alongside Dickson, with his breathtaking 161 from 88 balls on the second day, which delighted all who saw it, apart from Kevin Pietersen, who demanded the emergency introduction of franchise cricket, but it is questionable whether he will be able to finish off the job with the ball.England’s official instructions to their pace attack on the rare occasions they play county cricket are apparently not quite as prescriptive as once they were. Either they have happily adopted a less authoritarian approach or they just know that the likes of Stokes, James Anderson and Stuart Broad have the strength of mind to prepare themselves for Test cricket much as they see fit. But everybody knows there must be limits.If there is no likelihood therefore that Stokes’ phone will ping at breakfast on the final day advising him to bowl 12 overs in three four-over bursts, unless the wind is from a northerly direction, in which case the number of overs allowed should be divided by the moisture content of the pitch measured at hourly intervals, they may prefer instead to send an ambitious middle manager, armed with a Bluetooth-enabled microphone, to yell in his direction if he gets carried away.Such a recourse may be necessary because Durham could face an exacting day to force victory at New Road and confirm themselves as worthy promotion challengers. The pitch showed signs of unevenness for the new ball, and Chris Rushworth, who has had a tough season, took advantage by removing both Worcestershire openers, but it could easily go flat. With respect to Liam Trevaskis they do not have a spinner of repute, and the workhorse seamer – Ben Raine – stood down for Stokes in this match.At 169 for 6 when play resumed, the arrears still a monumental 411 runs, Worcestershire’s second innings might have been expected to run aground fairly quickly. But this is 2022, where batters have strutted their stuff and even the tailenders have done a good impression of the same. Joe Leach’s defiant 62 was the main component as Worcestershire batted the same amount of time again and, after a best-ignored but professionally-impressive sequence when the last pair blocked for 40 minutes without a run, their stand worth 29 in 19 overs, they were only one ball short of 100 overs when they were dismissed for 309.Matthew Potts finished with 6 for 62•Getty Images

Matthew Potts tacked on the wicket of Ben Cox to register 6 for 62 in a season where he has been one of the standout quick bowlers on predominately benign pitches. It should be conceded, however, that the number of quality fast bowlers jostling for attention would barely fill a phone box, especially as these days most of the room is already taken up by defibrillators or Ken Follett novels.In the circumstances, Scott Borthwick’s decision to give his bowlers a breather, and bat again, made sense and he could no have been happier with the outcome as Dickson recorded his second hundred of the match, Alex Lees (with less of the strike) added an unbeaten 60 and Durham declared after 21.3 overs at 170 for 1.Worcestershire spent much of the time employing white-ball tactics, to no great effect as Durham scored at a rate that they only manage occasionally in T20 itself. They also got Josh Baker, their 18-year-old left-arm spinner, back into the game as early as the seventh over after his 34-run mauling from Stokes on the previous day. Dickson reverse swept his first ball for four and later deposited a full toss so far that the ball was never found. After a lengthy delay, Baker bounced back with the replacement, beat the outside edge but Cox missed the stumping. Character-forming stuff, which is always a disturbing phrase.Dickson’s century rattled along in only 69 balls, which would have been the fastest hundred in Durham’s history had not Stokes managed one in 64 balls in the first innings. “I did realise when I was on about 60 that I was in with a chance of the fastest century for Durham but they kept bowling really wide down the leg side. I was going for it. It wasn’t to be.”Stokes’ hundred gained widespread media attention, whereas Dickson (and this report is culpable) will do well to get a nod of recognition. Such is the life of the respected but largely unsung county pro. He struck eight sixes on his way to his fourth century of the season and third in successive innings. He is having an outstanding season with this hundred giving him 729 runs at an average of 81 and taking him beyond Derbyshire’s Shan Masood as the leading run-maker in either division of the Championship.He will doubtless feel miffed that runs are so plentiful that his efforts may not receive the notice they deserve. That’s county cricket, but on a golden Spring evening at New Road it was still a wonderful place for any person of imagination to be.

Record-breaking captain backs Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues to find form

Annesha Ghosh03-Jul-2021Mithali Raj has identified Sneh Rana as a key allrounder for India’s future after Rana completed a memorable comeback to the longer formats with a stunning Test debut last month and impressive returns in India’s thrilling win in the third ODI on Saturday.Rana’s cameo of 24 from 22 balls at No. 7 in Worcester was pivotal to her 50-run sixth-wicket stand with Raj as the duo helped India seal a four-wicket win in the final match of the three-game ODI leg of the multi-format series. Earlier in the day, Rana had also made an imprint with the ball, returning figures of 7-0-31-1, having opener Lauren Winfield-Hill caught for 36 to break a 67-run second-wicket partnership. She had picked up 1 for 43 in the second ODI.”Definitely, yes,” Raj said when asked about Rana, 27, emerging as a formidable choice as allrounder upon her return to international cricket after a five-year gap. “That’s a slot we’ve always looked for somebody who has the shots to clear the field – strong shots all round. And it helps to have a player there who can also bowl. So it’s good to have her in the side.”She’s definitely shown that she does have the character in her to be built into a good player. In the current era, in modern cricket, allrounders play a very important role in the composition of the team. I’m sure that she has a bigger role playing for India in the coming years.”Related

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• Mithali Raj: 'I don't seek validation from people'

• The love, loss and comeback of Sneh Rana

While Rana’s form was one of the bright spots for India in their 1-2 loss in the ODI segment of the seven-match series, ODI vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s underwhelming batting form on the tour so far hasn’t been ideal for the visitors. Kaur made 16, 19, and 1 in the three ODIs and 4 and 8 in the drawn Test in Bristol last month.Raj, however, backed Kaur to regain form as the tour enters its T20I leg, the first of the three matches on July 9 in Northampton.”It does happen with any player,” Raj said of Kaur’s lean patch. “Sometimes you’re just not in form. But as a team and as a unit we back players who have been match-winners. We also know that single-handedly she has won games for us with her innings. This time around she needs the support of the team to back her.”It’s just a matter of one innings for a batter like her to get [back] her rhythm and timing.I’m sure with the T20 format, a format that suits her game, I really hope she will be back among the runs.”That India are far from settled as far as their No. 3 goes was borne out in them giving Jemimah Rodrigues a go in that position in the second and third ODIs after Punam Raut’s slow scoring in the first ODI played a part in parching India of urgency. Rodrigues, however, laboured to just 8 and 4 in the two innings.”A young player – obviously, she (Rodrigues) will take some time,” Raj said. “It’s just matter of experience and exposure for players like her. When a player goes through bad form, as [fellow] players, seniors, and team management we can give her the confidence and the backing, but it boils down to the player herself to have that belief to come out of the [bad] form. Again, for a batter, it’s just a matter of one innings to get the timing right and hope that as a young player she should get back in form.”As far as the composition, right now we are going with five bowlers but something we are looking at is to have another allrounder in the side. But, then again, it cuts down a purist – whether a batter or a bowler. We are throwing some ideas. By the next series, we should see what sort of a pool of players we look at and get into the team.”Sneh Rana celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

Raj revealed that aside from Raut and Rodrigues, other batters were also in contention to be tried in the No. 3 slot.”Now the series is over, but we do have a few names and players in our mind,” Raj said. “Again, it’s important that we need to see how they fit into the team. Purists are very few in the modern era of cricket. We need to look at the allrounders also and how the composition of the team will come is very crucial. But that’s also an area we are looking at, No. 3 and even No. 6 and No. 7.”Though Raj retired from T20I cricket in 2019, India’s performance in the third ODI, she said, would boost the confidence of the Kaur-led T20I team on whom the onus rests to add to India’s four points gained so far in the multi-format series as opposed to England’s six.”Yes, it is [a confidence-booster],” Raj said, “because that’s what I told the girls, I said – we’re still in the series. Winning a game like this puts pressure on them. Getting into the T20s, the entire unit should be confident. If they go on to win the first two games and then the last would be a decider and clearly the series will be excitedly placed. Yes, I’m sure that the girls will do well in the T20 format.”

Reeza Hendricks struck a half-century and Beuran Hendricks was impressive with the ball, but it wasn’t enough to stop the home side from winning by 36 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2019 20 overs per sideSouth Africa A did hit back with a four-run (DLS method) win in the fourth one-dayer, but India A, who had won the first three games, showed that it was just a blip as they were dominant again in registering a 36-run win in the final game in Thiruvananthapuram, which gave them a 4-1 series win.In a match reduced to 20 overs a side following rain, the Indians opted to bat and rode on big hands from Sanju Samson and Shikhar Dhawan to put up 204 for 4. Shardul Thakur then led the show with the ball as the South Africans were bowled out for 168 off the last ball.Dhawan, included in the side for the last two games after completing his recovery – he had broken a thumb, forcing his World Cup campaign to end prematurely – had a worry early on as a Beuran Hendricks delivery hit his helmet in the third over. The batsman had walked across the stumps to try and play the scoop, but took his eyes off and got hit near the left ear.He was treated immediately, and continued batting, playing till the 14th over for a 36-ball 51 with five fours and two sides. The end came when he was caught by Kyle Verreynne attempting a slog-sweep off left-arm spinner George Linde, but by then he had helped the Indians get to 137, his partnership with Samson for the second wicket worth 135 runs after Prashant Chopra had fallen early.Samson, batting beautifully, carried on and was in sight of a century before Linde had his number too, the batsman falling for 91 off 48 balls, with six fours and seven sixes, with 25 balls left in the innings.Shreyas Iyer, the captain, put the finishing touches to an excellent batting effort with a 19-ball 36, and South Africa were faced with a steep ask against a well-oiled bowling machine.The required rate for the visitors was over ten an over, but they only got to 40 for 2 by the end of the six-over mark, losing Janneman Malan to Thakur and Temba Bavuma to Ishan Porel along the way.That meant there was too much to do for the other top-order batsmen, and though Reeza Hendricks and Verreynne put together a 69-run stand for the third wicket – Hendricks scored 59 and Verreynne 44 – they were always lagging behind the asking rate.Heinrich Klaasen, the other prominent batsman in the line-up, couldn’t quite kick on either, and the South Africans finished well short, Thakur’s 3 for 9 from three overs quite the standout bowling performance in a convincing win.The teams now get ready for the first of two four-day matches, in Thiruvananthapuram, with the second in Mysuru, starting September 9.

South Africa are ‘optimistic’ Vernon Philander will be able to bowl on the fourth day of the ongoing Test against England

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2017South Africa are “optimistic” Vernon Philander will be able to bowl on the fourth day of the ongoing Test against England after an x-ray revealed bruising but no fracture to his right hand.Philander was hit by James Anderson while batting and received treatment on-field before going on to score 52. He did not take the field for the first 38 overs of the England innings but returned for the final 13, although he did not bowl. Barring anything “out of the ordinary” normal service should resume on Sunday.Philander sustained the injury off the 12th ball he faced, when he had not yet scored a run. A short ball from Anderson reared up and struck him on the glove but did not prevent him from playing some of the better shots in the South African innings. Although Philander routinely wrung out his hand after several shots, he did not appear to be in any significant discomfort and found the boundary seven times, including with a bottom-handed hoick over midwicket.When South Africa’s innings concluded, Philander was taken to the hospital and could not join his team-mates on the field. He returned to the change-room and received icing before making an appearance in the final hour. Even though Philander would have been able to bowl immediately – because his injury is external and so does not require him to spend the same amount of time on the field as he was off it – he did not bowl on Saturday afternoon and fielded with his left hand. Overnight rest should see him ready to bowl on Sunday morning.The diagnosis is a relief for South Africa, who feared being robbed of a third first-choice player. They are without Faf du Plessis for this Test after he remained at home following the birth of his first child and will be without Kagiso Rabada for the second Test after he was suspended for a code of conduct violation.

Bangladesh will tour India for a one-off Test, their first in the country, from February 8 to 12 next year

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2016Bangladesh will tour India for a one-off Test, their first in the country, from February 8 to 12 next year. The match will be played in Hyderabad.India is the last of the Full Members to host Bangladesh for a Test. Bangladesh have only featured in two limited-overs tournaments in the country – the 2006 Champions Trophy qualifiers and the 2016 World T20 – since getting Test status in 2000.”As a leading Test playing nation it is BCCI’s responsibility to give opportunity to every Test playing nation. It is my pleasure to announce the historic one-off Test match against our neighbours – Bangladesh early next year,” Anurag Thakur, the BCCI president, said. “This will be a great addition to our home season 2016-17.”In all, India’s 2016-17 home season will include 13 Tests, eight ODIs and three T20Is; 13 Tests equals the world record for the highest number of Tests in a home season. Apart from Bangladesh, New Zealand, England and Australia will also visit during the season.The one-off Test against Bangladesh will be played a week after the limited-overs series against England concludes in Bangalore on February 1.Nazmul Hassan, the BCB chief, said the match is a cause for celebration. “For the cricketers who will be representing Bangladesh and India this will be a much-anticipated game and, given the competitive nature of their limited-overs matches in the recent past, I believe the clash between these two cricket crazy nations will catch the imagination.” he said. “The long wait for us to play a Test match on Indian soil is finally over and this is a time for celebration.”This [Bangladesh’s first-ever Test in India] is certainly a big relief. It is just one Test match, it is nothing big. It won’t be doing much for the development of Bangladesh cricket. But this will be the first Test in India. It was a huge challenge for the board. It was supposed to happen earlier but we are happy that the date has been announced. At least we are starting to play there.”